St. Thomas/U.S. Virgin Islands – Maryland left the basketball court behind and set their sights to sea Saturday afternoon. Head coach Mark Turgeon and the Terps enjoyed a two-hour catamaran ride on a gorgeous 54-foot long boat called ‘The Cat’ through Turtle Cove and Buck Island.

While enjoying their time in the ocean, the Terp players made a loop, first swimming next to endangered green sea turtles and then towards the reef directly across Buck Island.

Morgan, who has been a captain for 12 years in St. Thomas/U.S. Virgin Islands, shared that Buck Island is one of the few places one can interact with the aforementioned endangered sea turtles. In addition, the Terps shared the ocean with an array of exotic fish as they swam with yellow tail, blue tang (think Finding Nemo) and parrot fish.

As the boat headed back to shore, the team voted that junior guard Jacob Susskind and graduate assistant Steven Asher were the most outstanding swimmers.

But everyone was full of smiles, and most importantly, no one ended the trip with a sunburn. Turgeon shared that the best part of the afternoon was watching his team relax and have fun together.

“This is great and something they normally don’t have the opportunity to experience,” Turgeon said. “It’s great for them to have fun and enjoy being with each other. And who doesn’t love being in the water?”

Notes: Turgeon will conduct a film session and walkthrough at the team hotel to prepare for Northern Iowa later this evening … Approximately 300 Terp fans made the trip to St. Thomas/U.S. Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam… The Terps play Northern Iowa Sunday at the Sports & Fitness Center at 7 p.m. EST (CBS Sports Network).

The University of Maryland men’s basketball team will face Marist in the first round of the 2013 Ezybonds Global Payments U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam.

The Paradise Jam will take place Nov. 22-25, with the games set to be televised by CBS Sports Network.

The first game of the event pits Northern Iowa vs. Loyola Marymount at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 22, with Maryland and Marist following at approximately 5 p.m. The evening session includes Providence vs. Vanderbilt and Morgan State vs. La Salle.

The losing teams in the first round will move to the consolation bracket and play on Saturday, Nov. 23, while the winners will play on Sunday, Nov. 24. The championship game is scheduled for 10 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 25.

Maryland is coming off a 25-13 season in which it advanced to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament and National Invitation Tournament. Marist went 10-21 last season.

Game times are subject to change. Times listed are Atlantic Standard Time (one hour ahead of Eastern Daylight Time).